Choosing a quilting app in 2026.
Makerly is a quilting app for the web, iPhone, and Android that puts a quilt designer, block editor, seven fabric calculators, color tools, and a fabric stash tracker in one subscription. Here is how it compares, honestly, with the other quilting apps people actually use.
The quilting app landscape, honestly
Almost every quilting app on the market picks one job and does only that job. Design apps design. Calculator apps calculate. Tracker apps track. The question is whether you want one app or five.
| What you need | Makerly | Design apps (PreQuilt, Quiltler 3) | Calculator apps (Quilt Geek, RK Calc) | Trackers (Quiltful, My Quilts) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quilt & block design | ✓ Designer + block editor | ✓ | — | — |
| Fabric calculators | ✓ Seven, sharing one quilt size | Varies | ✓ | — |
| Fabric stash tracking | ✓ Photos, tags, yardage | — | — | ✓ |
| Thread & color tools | ✓ Converter + palette extract | Partial | — | — |
| Community & local shops | ✓ Directory + Show & Tell | — | — | — |
| Web + iPhone + Android | ✓ All three, synced | Usually one platform | Phone only | Usually one platform |
The apps quilters ask about, one by one
PreQuilt
A web app for sketching blocks, building layouts, and auditioning fabric swatches on a design, with coloring-page output. That is the scope: it does not handle your quilt math, your stash, or your community, and there is no native mobile app for working at the machine. Full Makerly vs PreQuilt comparison.
Quiltler 3
An iOS digital sketchbook for building custom geometric patterns with fabric libraries and PDF export. It is Apple-only, so Android and desktop quilters are out, and it stops at design and fabric estimates. Full Makerly vs Quiltler 3 comparison.
Quilt Geek & Robert Kaufman Quilting Calc
Both are calculator-only tools: Quilt Geek covers backing, sashing, binding, and border formulas on Android and iOS, and Robert Kaufman's Quilting Calc is a free conversion utility. If a calculator is truly all you need, our free web calculators need no install at all. The trade-off with any standalone calculator: you re-type your quilt dimensions into every tool, every time.
Quiltful, My Quilts & Quilt Wizard
Project organizers: WIP tracking, progress photos, cutting status, yardage allocation. They assume you design and calculate somewhere else.
Electric Quilt (EQ8)
Desktop pattern-design software aimed at publishing designers, with a real learning curve and an upfront price several times a year of Makerly. For planning your own quilts, most people need a fraction of that and none of the desk chains.
The honest verdict: single-purpose apps exist for each of these jobs, and if you truly have only one need, one of them may cover it. Choose Makerly if you want the whole workflow, design, math, stash, colors, help, and community, in one place that works on your computer and your phone with one login.
What Makerly gives quilters
- Quilt Designer & Block Editor: plan layouts on a tactile canvas, build a personal block library, recolor with a tap.
- Seven calculators: yardage, backing, batting, binding, borders, on-point, and a printable cut list, all fed by one set of quilt numbers. Try four of them free.
- E2E Studio: preview edge-to-edge pantograph designs across your quilt before committing.
- Color tools: pull a palette from any photo and audition it on your design, straight from your own fabric stash.
- Fabric Stash: photograph, tag, and track yardage so you never buy duplicates.
- Helper Hub: expert-curated troubleshooting for tension, batting, binding, and every "why is it doing that" moment.
- Local shops & community: a verified craft shop directory with events, plus Show & Tell boards with real makers.
It all runs in your browser and on iPhone and Android, always in sync, for $9.99/month after a 14-day free trial.
Quilting app questions, answered
What is the best app for quilters?
It depends on what you need. If you want one app that covers design, math, fabric tracking, and community, Makerly is built exactly for that and runs on the web, iPhone, and Android. Apps like PreQuilt and Quiltler 3 cover design only, and calculator apps like Quilt Geek cover math only, so single-purpose tools mean juggling several apps.
Is there a quilting app that works on both my computer and my phone?
Makerly runs as a full web app in any browser plus native apps on iPhone and Android, with one account syncing everything. Most quilting apps are single-platform: Quiltler 3 is iOS only, PreQuilt is browser only, and many calculator apps are phone only.
Is there a free quilting calculator app?
Yes. Makerly offers four free quilting calculators right on this website with no account: backing, batting, binding, and borders. The Robert Kaufman Quilting Calc app is another well-known free option for quilt math.
What does Makerly cost compared to other quilting apps?
Makerly is $9.99 a month after a 14-day free trial, and that one subscription covers quilt design, seven calculators, fabric stash, embroidery tools, thread conversion, an expert Helper Hub, and community. Buying separate single-purpose apps for each of those jobs typically adds up to more, spread across apps that do not talk to each other.
The fastest way to decide is 14 free days.
Every feature unlocked, in your browser or on your phone, no charge during the trial. Design a real quilt, run the real numbers, and see if it fits the way you work.